Canada's Historic Cities & Waterways

A Voyage from the Atlantic to the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Ontario

On this voyage, we've combined the scenic beauty and natural wonder of some of Atlantic Canada's most dramatic waterways with visits to historic cities that beguile visitors with their old world influences and French charm. After exploring the birding paradise of Witless Bay Ecological Reserve (comprised of four islands), set forth from Newfoundland's capital of St. John for Ingonish, on the island of Cape Breton. Explore Prince Edward Island, Gaspe Peninsula and nearby Ile Bonaventure, where, for millennia, tens of thousands of gannets return every summer to nest. A highlight of our journey is navigating the full expanse of the St. Lawrence River and Seaway, one of the world's most magnificent inland waterways. En route, we visit the enchanting city of Quebec and the alluring old quarter of Montreal. One of the outstanding engineering feats of the 20th century, the St. Lawrence Seaway comprises 7 locks which elevate the ship 228 feet into Lake Ontario. Clelia II is the ideal ship for this voyage. It enables us to enter shallow harbors, thread our way through locks and tiny inlets, and intimately experience the scenic grandeur of eastern Canada and the St. Lawrence River.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1	USA • ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA Fly to St. John's, founded in the mid-16th century, and transfer to the Delta St. John's Hotel, your accommodations for the night. Explore this lovely capital city on your own.
Day 2	ST. JOHN'S • CAPE SPEAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE • EMBARK Drive along the magnificent coast to visit Cape Spear National Historic Site. Enjoy a nature walk to Petty Harbour. Board local boats to Bay Bulls for an excursion to Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, where millions of seabirds come to breed every summer. Embark Clelia II in St. John's and sail.
Day 3	AT SEA Enjoy a relaxing day at sea as Clelia II cruises in the Gulf of St. Lawrence toward Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island.
Day 4	INGONISH, CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA Arrive in Ingonish, nestled in a bay on the east coast of Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island where we will explore Cape Breton Highlands National Park, among Canada's most majestic conservancies. Discover its famed Cabot Trail, with its dense forest and magnificent views of the island and its surroundings.
Day 5	CHARLOTTETOWN, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Today visit Prince Edward Island, known as the Garden of the Gulf for its pastoral landscape. Enjoy a panoramic tour of the island, including the colonial seaport of Charlottetown and its historic Province House. Continue to Prince Edward Island National Park, where we will see the Anne of Green Gables House—the inspiration for Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel—and take in some of the 200 bird species inhabiting the parkland.
Day 6	GASPE • PERCE • ILE BONAVENTURE • GASPE Gaspe, on the eastern coast of the remote peninsula of the same name, is where Jacques Cartier first claimed Canada for France. From "Land's End," visit the National Park of Bonaventure Island and Perce Rock. Carved by volcanic action, Perce Rock is a continuation of the Appalachian Mountains, which extend from the peninsula to Alabama. Rising out of the sea to a solitary height of almost 300 feet, the dramatic sight of Perce Rock attracts visitors from all over the world. Its neighbor, Bonaventure Island, houses a migratory bird sanctuary with the largest concentration of Northern Gannets in North America.
Day 7	AT SEA • SAGUENAY RIVER Relax aboard Clelia II and attend a lecture by one of our onboard experts as we navigate the Saguenay River. The river was an important trade route into the interior for First Nations (the aboriginal peoples of what is present-day Canada) and, during the French colonization of the Americas, was a major route for the fur trade. Bordered by steep cliffs, the waterway is home to Beluga whales, which breed in its cold waters. As we watch from the deck of Clelia II, we are likely to encounter a pod of whales.
Day 8	QUEBEC CITY Quebec City, built on the site of the Iroquois village of Stadacona, sits high above the narrowest point of the St. Lawrence River. With its old city walls, narrow cobblestoned lanes, country squares, oxidized copper gables, outdoor cafes and historic battlements, Quebec City remains one of the most romantic places in North America. The authentic, undeveloped charm led UNESCO to designate it a World Heritage Site in 1985. Discover the Upper and Lower Towns; the Citadel; the Plains of Abraham, where General Wolfe claimed the city for England in 1759; and the Place Royale.
Day 9	MONTREAL The second-largest French-speaking city in the Western world after Paris, Montreal is one of North America's most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities. Known for its fashionable boutiques, gourmet restaurants and vivacious nightlife, Montreal strikes a dynamic balance between the avant-garde and the charms of the Old World. Our tour includes a stroll through the cobblestoned streets of the Old Quarter; the resplendent Notre Dame Basilica; and Mont-Royal Park, where the Iroquois established their original settlement. The afternoon is at leisure during which you may wish to visit the outstanding Montreal Museum of Fine Arts or the Chateau Ramezay Museum. In the late afternoon, we begin our beguiling transit through the seven locks of the historic St. Lawrence Seaway.
Day 10	THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY & THOUSAND ISLANDS • LAKE ONTARIO Continue navigating the St. Lawrence Seaway. Later in the morning, sail through the Thousand Islands, a scenic region that has been a popular vacation destination for more than a century. In the afternoon, Clelia II cruises Lake Ontario.
Day 11	ROCHESTER • DISEMBARK • USA Arrive in Rochester, New York, and disembark Clelia II. Transfer to the airport for return flights home.